Archive for August, 2011

In dealing with any task or challenge in life, there is an inherent critical path. In the world of real estate development, we define the critical path as “the sequence of activities that must be completed on schedule for the entire project to be completed on schedule.” In short, the critical path recognizes which items need to be addressed, and in what order, to minimize the time till completion. I believe that this concept of a critical path can be very useful in finding a suitable mate. The cat and mouse system of courtship, the mind games, and dating itself can be time consuming, expensive, and often frustrating for men. So why don’t men do the specific things that would put themselves on a more efficient path to finding a partner? In this article, we will examine a few high percentage activities that could be an effective part of your critical path.

Dancing:

We all know what its like to be at a party or a wedding and there is one guy out on the dance floor winning over the ladies while we are sitting there staring down at our drink. Many guys have an “I don’t dance” policy because they want to feel macho. But when it comes right down to it, would you rather impress your macho cousin Eddie who hasn’t danced since 1986 or the ladies at the party? If we think about things rationally, men everywhere should be learning to dance like Usher with the hopes of wooing the ladies.

Target Rich Environment:

There are many activities and places that are frequented predominantly by females and where men would be a commodity by just showing up. For instance, yoga classes, salsa lessons, farmers markets, and Bloomingdales just to name a few. Make no mistake, most fellas that I know would rather sit home watching the game than go any of these places. But its not about thoroughly enjoying the farmers market, its about giving yourself a few at bats while you buy some fresh fruit and veggies for the week. With respect to salsa lessons, there is often a shortage of guys in the class to a point where girls are dancing with girls. A man doesn’t have to be good at salsa in order to find himself in a spicy situation.

Party Hard, Party Right

There is a misnomer that women want a man who appears to be settled or settling down. Nothing could be further from the truth. Woman want a wild man who they can attempt to tame down and whom they can try to change. Many men feel that they are better off showing off their maturity or the depths of their wallet. But neither of those, on their own, can compete with a wild night out that is more fun than classy. To ensure that you on the right path, put forth the illusion that you are somewhat of a party animal.

Note that being a party animal doesn’t mean drinking too much and passing out at Burger King at 4am. In this case, it means frequenting the newest hot spots and showing an interest in having night out on the town that are memorable. Most people in their 30’s don’t go out as often as they did while in their 20’s because they don’t have as much energy and they likely have less people to go out with. As such, wild and crazy memorable nights can be hard to come by. In some ways, a memorable night is like a work of art, and finding a way to show that you can paint a beautiful picture on the palate of life is sure to win her over.

Overall, it is obvious that people generally make choices based on their comfort level and their preferences rather than taking the route that they know deep down will likely produce the best results. In this world we live in where luxuries are all around us like the remote control and the internet, I am not surprised that most men do not think in terms of a critical path. We are all spoiled by convenience and we want finding a significant other to be convenient as well. However, that just leaves more opportunity for those who follow a critical path.

So next time you are at a wedding, tell your cousin Eddie to hold your drink while you cut a rug with the brides maids. And when Eddie gives you a funny look, tell him that if he doesn’t like the new you, he can go watch Lord of the Rings back at the house.